Melissa as to Wilcox. “Continue on point, Sergeant.”
“Aye,” the Marine replied, taking extra caution as he ascended the stairs. At the top, the team was greeted by a long passageway.
Trent’s voice came over the communication channel. “The signal is coming from directly ahead.”
Shawn scanned the area behind them, then turned his attention forward. “Understood.”
Fifty yards down the corridor, they came to another body that was curled up next to a closed airlock door. Wilcox trained his weapon toward the unmoving form, and Shawn reached down to turn the body over. This Akturian had fared less fortunately than the previous one. One arm was missing, as was one leg and half the other. A large object had perforated the chest cavity and gone clean through the body.
“We’ve got another one,” Shawn said, addressing Melissa. “Looks like whatever killed the first Akturian got this guy, too.”
“Any indication of what it was?” she asked.
Shawn turned to Tausan, who was looking around the corridor with marked fascination. “I think the colonel might, but I’m not positive. Something sure has him on edge, that’s for certain. We’re at the door to the docking ring. Once we get inside and pressurize the area, maybe he’ll enlighten us.”
Moving the body aside, Wilcox opened the airlock and the team slowly stepped inside and closed the hatch. Once the thirty-foot -long tube connecting the Akturian vessel to the Sector Command carrier was pressurized, Shawn and Wilcox in turn removed their helmets.
“Okay,” Shawn said, immediately turning to Tausan. “What’s go t you so spooked?”
Closing his eyes, Tausan took several deeps breaths before speaking. “I do not believe we are alone on this vessel, Commander.”
“Could you be little more specific?” Shawn asked impatiently.
“The bodies of those Akturians. I have seen this before.”
“Me too,” Wilcox chimed in. “In a nightmare.”
Shawn, ever thankful he’d brought his sidearm, quickly withdrew it. “What did this, Colonel?”
“A very dangerous one.”
“No crap,” Wilcox snorted.
“Get the door to the salvage ship open, S ergeant.” Shawn said, then turned to Tausan, quickly losing patience. “I hope you and that little translator of yours can be a little more specific in the next five seconds.”
Tausan looked to the Marine opening the door, then faced Shawn, cocking his head as the translator put narration to his clicks and grunts. “Meltranians.”
“What?” Shawn asked in confusion, but was immediately distracted by a scream from the far side of the room. He turned in time to see Wilcox hoisted from his feet by some unseen force, then flung down the corridor until he impacted with Tausan. Stunned, the colonel fell backward under the impact. That was when Shawn clearly saw the threat.
The creature, for there was no better explanation, was easily ten feet tall. Bipedal, with grayish-purple skin and rearward hinged legs, it hunched down as it traversed the doorway, then stood upright. It had two elongated arms, with two claw-tipped forearms jutting from each of the two elbows, giving the Meltranian four dangerous -looking grapples. The elongated head was split vertically from between the creature’s four yellow eyes to the bottom of its pointed chin, and the crown of its head pointed back with an overlapping series of sharp, scale-like layers. The Meltranian advanced slowly, its clawed, three-toed feet stamping loudly on the deck as it did so.
Shawn was quick to aim his pistol, firing several rounds at the alien. Blue-white bolts of energy crackled from his gun, which seemed to have no ill effect on the alien other than halting its advance. Shawn began stepping back, continuing to fire at the creature as he quickly ran out of maneuvering room.
“You are only succeeding in making it stronger!”
“Aye,” the Marine replied, taking extra caution as he ascended the stairs. At the top, the team was greeted by a long passageway.
Trent’s voice came over the communication channel. “The signal is coming from directly ahead.”
Shawn scanned the area behind them, then turned his attention forward. “Understood.”
Fifty yards down the corridor, they came to another body that was curled up next to a closed airlock door. Wilcox trained his weapon toward the unmoving form, and Shawn reached down to turn the body over. This Akturian had fared less fortunately than the previous one. One arm was missing, as was one leg and half the other. A large object had perforated the chest cavity and gone clean through the body.
“We’ve got another one,” Shawn said, addressing Melissa. “Looks like whatever killed the first Akturian got this guy, too.”
“Any indication of what it was?” she asked.
Shawn turned to Tausan, who was looking around the corridor with marked fascination. “I think the colonel might, but I’m not positive. Something sure has him on edge, that’s for certain. We’re at the door to the docking ring. Once we get inside and pressurize the area, maybe he’ll enlighten us.”
Moving the body aside, Wilcox opened the airlock and the team slowly stepped inside and closed the hatch. Once the thirty-foot -long tube connecting the Akturian vessel to the Sector Command carrier was pressurized, Shawn and Wilcox in turn removed their helmets.
“Okay,” Shawn said, immediately turning to Tausan. “What’s go t you so spooked?”
Closing his eyes, Tausan took several deeps breaths before speaking. “I do not believe we are alone on this vessel, Commander.”
“Could you be little more specific?” Shawn asked impatiently.
“The bodies of those Akturians. I have seen this before.”
“Me too,” Wilcox chimed in. “In a nightmare.”
Shawn, ever thankful he’d brought his sidearm, quickly withdrew it. “What did this, Colonel?”
“A very dangerous one.”
“No crap,” Wilcox snorted.
“Get the door to the salvage ship open, S ergeant.” Shawn said, then turned to Tausan, quickly losing patience. “I hope you and that little translator of yours can be a little more specific in the next five seconds.”
Tausan looked to the Marine opening the door, then faced Shawn, cocking his head as the translator put narration to his clicks and grunts. “Meltranians.”
“What?” Shawn asked in confusion, but was immediately distracted by a scream from the far side of the room. He turned in time to see Wilcox hoisted from his feet by some unseen force, then flung down the corridor until he impacted with Tausan. Stunned, the colonel fell backward under the impact. That was when Shawn clearly saw the threat.
The creature, for there was no better explanation, was easily ten feet tall. Bipedal, with grayish-purple skin and rearward hinged legs, it hunched down as it traversed the doorway, then stood upright. It had two elongated arms, with two claw-tipped forearms jutting from each of the two elbows, giving the Meltranian four dangerous -looking grapples. The elongated head was split vertically from between the creature’s four yellow eyes to the bottom of its pointed chin, and the crown of its head pointed back with an overlapping series of sharp, scale-like layers. The Meltranian advanced slowly, its clawed, three-toed feet stamping loudly on the deck as it did so.
Shawn was quick to aim his pistol, firing several rounds at the alien. Blue-white bolts of energy crackled from his gun, which seemed to have no ill effect on the alien other than halting its advance. Shawn began stepping back, continuing to fire at the creature as he quickly ran out of maneuvering room.
“You are only succeeding in making it stronger!”
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